The following abbreviations are herewith defined, at least some of which are referred to within the following description of the state-of-the-art and the present invention.    ASIC Application Specific Integrated Circuit    CPE Customer Premises Equipment    DNS Domain Name Server    IP Internet Protocol
Consumer electronics have progressed a great deal in the recent past. Not only are they more capable than they were a short time ago, they are also far more prevalent. Many homes, for example, have more than one personal computer and video storage device, along with many similar devices. These devices are often connected together to form a network, and through the network are capable of communicating with other devices outside of the home. The use of email and telephone services that are available through such networks is very common, and the downloading of, for example, software applications and multimedia transmissions is becoming more frequent.
Connections outside of the home are often facilitated by some type of device that serves as an interface to whatever network service is providing access. Such a device may take the form, for example, of a wireless router connecting multiple computers to the Internet, or a set-top box that receives video and television programming for display on a television or other video display device. Such devices are sometimes referred to as CPE, or customer premises equipment. Such devices are not necessarily autonomous, but are frequently managed in whole or in part by a network component that is located outside of the home. This component will herein be referred to as a management server, although management of the CPE may actually be a task shared by a number of servers working together cooperatively. The management server monitors the CPE to make sure it is on-line, available, and operational. Certain functions of the CPE may also be supervised by the management server, which may also upgrade it's functionality from time to time.
While a carrier or network operator may provide an access network connecting the subscriber's residence with other communication networks, CPE management may in some cases be performed by a third-party vendor. Though such an arrangement may be advantageous for the carrier, certain difficulties may arise if the current vendor is to be replaced. The number of subscriber devices that are under management may be very large, and transferring their management to the new service provider may for this reason be cost prohibitive.
Accordingly, there has been and still is a need to address the aforementioned shortcomings and other shortcomings associated with migrating CPEs from one management server to another. These needs and other needs are satisfied by the present invention.